Sprint Cup Series driver Jason Leffler, died during a race of a blunt force neck injury on June 12. / Matthew O'Haren, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- A dogged racer, a devilish prankster but most of all, a doting father.

That was how Jason Leffler was remembered in a memorial service Wednesday at Grace Covenant Church that drew several members of the NASCAR community.

Sprint Cup drivers Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin were in attendance, but none spoke during an hour-long tribute conducted by NASCAR chaplain Kenny Crosswhite. Leffler was killed June 12 in a sprint-car crash at a dirt track in New Jersey. He was 37.

Many of the stories shared about Leffer's life and career centered on his 5-year-old son, Charlie, who didn't attend the service. Leffler's mother, Pat, and several other family members were in attendance, as were former car owners J.D. Gibbs and Chip Ganassi and NASCAR president Mike Helton and other executives.

"As the world grew more complicated around Jason, he kept that singular focus of just getting to the racetrack and competing," said longtime friend Jeff Dickerson of Spire Sports and Entertainment, which handled Leffler's business affairs. "I admired him for it for many years until Charlie was born. Something definitely changed about him. He displayed a more sensitive side â?? dare I say, more loving. It inspired me to be a better father. I wish I'd told him that Jason was by far the best dad in our small world down here. By far.

"Through some rather trying circumstances, his love for Charlie shined bright for all of us to see."

Four photos of Leffler -- in sprint and stock cars -- dotted the altar along with two video screens.

Todd Braun, who fielded cars for Leffler in the Nationwide Series, told the crowd of about 400 he "couldn't see Jason Leffler as a father" after the driver told him about the impending birth of Charlie.

"Charlie came along, and I watched the transformation of Jason," Braun said. "Jason the racer became Jason the dad. I've never seen a transformation of a person like I saw with Jason Leffler. He cared more about Charlie than anything. It was one of the best things I ever saw. The switch flipped."

Close friend Danny Pearson said Leffler would be remembered as a "great brother, great son, great and loyal friend. Most of all as a great father."

The ceremony also focused on the achievements of the versatile Leffler, who started in the grassroots of open-wheel racing (where he won three straight USAC championships to earn enshrinement in the Midget Hall of Fame) before racing full time in all three of NASCAR's national series. He twice was fired from well-funded Cup cars but always landed another ride. He turned to sprint cars this year when the opportunities dried up in NASCAR.

"Jason's story is one of resilience, desire and love for his family, his sport and his friends," Dickerson said. "He faced many challenges along the way. He prevailed with a silent intensity and focus that should be an inspiration to all of us. But especially to any young racer who mistakenly believes you can't make it without money or without one foot in the sport already.

"The first thing I said about Jason is that he never changed. From the day we met a long time ago until his last day, he just had the strongest desire to race, and he wanted to make it. And he did it despite being mischievous. We all know how much of a handful he was. We were looking for footage and quickly it became obvious everything we had was from hidden security videos from bars, hotels, weddings, airports and rental car counters."

Braun playfully recalled the abuse of an ice sculpture at a wedding and many rental cars.

"This is a sad day for all of us, but a relief for many caterers around the country that made ice sculptures," Dickerson joked.

A video montage showed Leffler's growth from a moptop kid on a bicycle to a respected and well-liked racer who rubbed elbows with many of the sport's greats. It closed with several consecutive photos of the Long Beach, Calif., native hanging with Stewart. The three-time Sprint Cup champion was a close friend who gave Leffler a room after he moved to Indiana to pursue his career.

"That describes Jason," Braun said. "He did all three. He worked every day at racing and life. He built his own cars, found the money to race and worked out to stay fit. He believed he had to work hard to make himself successful. He'd race anybody anywhere."

Dickerson said he and Leffler had "spoken about death many times. He was such a student of the sport. I don't think he got enough credit for it. Every May, he'd call or text at random hours and say, 'Hey, man, it's ESPN Classic showing the 1964 Indy 500.' He always said how much those guys were real race car drivers. Real men. There were fatalities on the racetrack, they'd still line up and run the A Main like nothing happened.

"This was exactly how Jason wanted to go. I'd argue he'd rather have gone in a Midget at Ventura or Terre Haute, Ind., or Eldora. And he wasn't ready to go yet. He was having the time of his life running those cars."

Crosswhite said Leffler's feisty and aggressive nature belied "a sincerity that was remarkable" and a zest for life that seemed at its zenith when he died.

"He had happy hair," Crosswhite said. "And having spent time with him recently, he never seemed happier. That's what makes this hurt so much."